No. 1 Spalding caps 18-0 season with Catholic League crown

Early in the season, Archbishop Spalding coach Linda Taylor said that this year's team was the school's best ever.

Considering the successful history of the program, that was saying something.

But the Cavaliers have done nothing to prove their coach wrong.

Yesterday, Carrie Parsons pitched a two-hitter as top-ranked Spalding capped an 18-0 season with a 6-0 victory over #i third-ranked Institute of Notre Dame in the Catholic League Tournament championship game at McDonogh.

"I thought in the beginning that this was the best team that Spalding's ever put out, and I can honestly say now that it definitely is," said Taylor, who is in her first season as head coach. "I've watched Spalding teams from the stands for six years, been a JV coach for two and now as a head coach."

Yesterday's game marked the sixth consecutive year that the Cavaliers and IND had met for the Catholic League Tournament championship.

Spalding, which handed IND (12-4) its only losses this season, has won five of the six. The Cavaliers' string of four straight titles was ended by the Indians last season.

Revenge for last year's loss was not on the Cavaliers' minds, however, Parsons said.

"We didn't really think about it," said Parsons, who had nine strikeouts. "If anything, we all thought we'd be too cocky, but we pulled it all together."

Unlike their last meeting on April 22 -- when Spalding rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the fifth inning to win 6-5 in 11 -- the Cavaliers struck early and often yesterday.

Crystal Henderson led off the bottom of the first with a single to center. She then stole second, advanced to third on Kari Thompson's sacrifice bunt and scored on Rachel Synowski's ground out to shortstop.

Spalding made it 2-0 on Dana Fidazzo's RBI single in the second and scored an unearned run in the third.

Spalding added two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.

"A couple runs early by either team was going to give that team a tremendous advantage," IND coach Sandy Altadonna said.

"They got on us early and made us play catch-up ball. And with Carrie pitching, we just couldn't do it."

Parsons, who walked four, allowed just one ball out of the infield -- Shannon Skopp's double in the seventh.

"Carrie was tough today as usual. She's just a good pitcher," Altadonna said.

"And the times that we did hit the ball, we hit it right at somebody."

It was an uncharacteristic performance for IND ace Lisa Riley, who gave up 12 hits and did not have a strikeout.